DC Edit | Gill Indian Cricket’s Future?
The future lies with Gill was the verdict delivered when they picked him after having dropped enough hints to the two champion batsmen, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, during and after the Australia series that their time was up so far as Test cricket was concerned
Only a vision for the future and succession planning could have prompted the Indian selectors to plump for Shubman Gill as the captain of Team India for ODIs. They had a difficult decision to make as Rohit Sharma had led India to two notable triumphs in the white ball game in the T20I and ODI formats recently while also having led the Test side to the world championship final two years ago. And all the while Rohit had performed as a batsman, at most times selflessly to give the team the bright starts the shorter versions required.
This is not to suggest Shubman Gill did not have the credentials to be promoted. In fact, no Test captain has performed better for India as he did in a Bradmensque run of 754 runs on the tour of England last summer from which Team India emerged with honour in a 2-2 draw after being behind twice. He grabbed his chance with both hands while showing the leadership qualities to justify the faith reposed in him.
The future lies with Gill was the verdict delivered when they picked him after having dropped enough hints to the two champion batsmen, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, during and after the Australia series that their time was up so far as Test cricket was concerned. But who can argue against two such performers retaining the option of being in the international game at least in one format? Remember their failings were only in Tests while their white ball contributions have been massive.
The next big target for Team India is the ODI World Cup in the southern African continent in 2027 by when Rohit will be 40 and Kohli 39 years old. The T20 World Cup will come before that, in 2026, when India will be co-host with Sri Lanka, but the champs are out of it, and Gill is just the deputy in a format in which he must prove himself more.
Challenging assignments will be coming up soon in Australia, New Zealand and South Africa which will test Gill’s mettle. As a young player who is willing to learn and who has flowered when responsibility was thrust on him, he has earned the right to lead the team into the future. And Indian cricket will be backing him without insulting two grand performers in Rohit and Kohli.